Artificial limb



FQI. s; BULFORD.

ARTIFICIAL LIIVIB. APPLICATION FILED AUG.29,'I9I9.

Patented July fl 3 SHEETS-SHEET I- a a f if F. J. S. BULFORD.

ARTIFICIAL LIMB. APPLICATION FILED AUG.29, I919.

Patented JIIIy fl Wm.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

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specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July h, rose.

I Application filed August 29, 1919. serial lilo. 320,591.

To all whom may concern:

lie it known that l, FREDERICK Joli-IN liiruvnnnr llnrirono, of is High street, lllaidenhead, in the county of llerks, ling land, manager, have invented certain new and useful .lmprovementsin or lltelating to .llrtilicial ll Jlll ll ls, of which the following is a specification.

'lhis invention relates to artificial limbs and has for its object to provide an iinproved form of peg leg); which shall be lighter and chca ierthan the usual forms of artificial legs. it further object of my invention. to provide a peg leg with means sinmlating the shape of a human leg and foot. j

According to this invention an artificial leg is provided with an annular support for the stuiupof the lee connected by a cage-like frame with a tubular pep; and with a ln'lcket depending from the annular support.

llnartificial leg constructed in arcordance with this invention may be modified for cases where the loo; has been an'iputated aboveor below the knee and it may, if de sired, be articulated whenxintended for use in a case where amputation was made above the knee. The invention is illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side. elevation and Fig. 2 is a front elevatlon of O'lll} form of artificial. leg. ll 3 is a side elevation and f ig. 41: is a front elevation of another form of artificial leg together with means for securing it to the body ol the wearerpllip', 5 is a sectional side elevation of a detail on an enlarged scale and Fig. 6

isan elevation of another detail also on an intended for use in a case where amputation made below the knee and has a padded rigid annular support as dapted to fit around the stump of the loo; just below the knee,

provided with upwardly extending; arms 6, Z)

jointed at 0, 0 to arms (Z, Z which carry at their upper ends ,a padded ill-shape support 6 adapted to be secured by hooks and alace to the thigh abovethe knee. The annular support a is carried by four arms f which curve inwardly and dowinvardly therefrom so as to constitute a cage-like frame into which the stump extends, and they are socured at their lower ends by welding, brazing, or the like to a thin steel tube which constitutes a peg and is pivoted at its lower end in a position corresponding with the ankle of the user by a crowbolt h to a wooden foot j. A leather bucket 70 is secured to the annular support a and depends there-. from into the cagelike frame. The bucket is is open at or toward the front and provided with hooks and a lace so that it is adjustable and may always be made to fit closely around the stump. The foot jis provided. with an articulated toe portion at normally maintained. in extended position by blocks of soft india rubber, such as a, disposed in the gap between the toe portion on and the main portion of the foot, said gapbeins; covered by a strip 0 of leather or the like. The heel andsole of the feet are padded as at p, q, with india rubber or the like to prevent jar, and in order that the foot 7' may be restored to its normal position after flexure at the belt 7i, a bifurcated link r piv oted to the pep; g (or a sleeve .9 surrounding and secured to said peg) by a cross bolt is pivoted to a plunger to extending into a metal lined aperture in the foot 7' where a spring 1) presses upona head to on said plunger and upon an abutment w in the foot, a pad to" india rubber being; interposed between the head to and the bottom of theaperture. ln order to prevent the trouser leg from flapping loosely where the calf of the leg should (I be, front and rear members 11 and s and side members 11, 11 are respectively secured to the corrcs iioruiling arms I of the cage-like frame. The front member 1 is also secured to the corresponding end ofa cross bolt 12, which passes through the peg g, or sleeve 8, and to the bifurcated link r, the rear member e is also secured to the corresponding;

end of the cross bolt 12 and to the peg g near the bottom thereof, while the side mem hers 11, 11 are secured to the sides of the foot lhe form of artificial. leg illustrated in Figs. 3 to (3 of the drawingsis intended for use in a case where amputation was made above the knee and is of substantially the same construction, and those parts of this form of the invention which correspond with similar parts in the form just described are indicated by the same references.

The annular support a is adapted to fit around the stump of the thigh and is carried by four arms 7", which are secured at their lower ends by brazing, welding or the like to a thin steel tube 13 which constitutes a portion of a peg. The bucket is is provided with an upward extension 14 whereof the upper edge is inclined and padded to fit into the groin and said bucket and extension are each open toward the front and provided with hooks or eyelets and a lace so that they may be adjusted to always fit closely around the stump and thigh respectively. The portion 13 of the peg is connected, at a position corresponding in height with the kneejoint of the user, with a thin steel tube 15, constituting another portion of the peg, by a knuckle joint 16, see Figs. 5, 7 and 8, and said portions of the peg are normally maintained in alinement by a spring 16 within the portion 15 attached at its one end to a cross bolt 12 by an eye 16" and at its other end to a cross bolt 17 by an eye 16, the bolt 17 passing through slots 17 in the portion 15 and being secured to a sleeve 18 slidable upon said portion and adjustably attached by a chain 19 to a loop 20 formed at the bottom of one of the arms The portion 15 of the peg is pivotally connected at its lower end, in a position corresponding with the ankle joint of the user, by a cross bolt h with a wooden foot and the bifurcated link 0" is pivoted to the portion 15 of the peg (or sleeve 8 surrounding and secured to said portion) by a cross bolt 25.

In order to prevent the trouser leg from flapping loosely where the knee and the calf of the leg should be an annulus 21 is secured by its inner peripheral flange 22 to the por tion 15 immediately below the knuckle joint 16 (see Fig. 5) and to the outer peripheral flange 23 of said annulus are secured front and rear members y and 2 and side members 11,11 respectively. The side members 11, 11 are prolonged upwardly above the annulus 21 and are pivoted at 241-, 24, on the same horizontal axis With the knuckle joint 16, to connecting pieces 25, v25, secured at their upper ends to the corresponding arms 7", f, while the front member 7/ is prolonged upwardly above the annulus 21 and curved about said horizontal axis as a center, as at 26 said upward extension 26 being slidingly engaged by a pin 27 carried by a bifurcated bracket 28 mounted at the lower end of a connecting piece 29 secured at its upper end to the front arm f.

In order to assist in maintaining the leg in alinement on the stump that arm f at the outside ofthe leg is extended upwardly above the annular support a as at 30 and bears against oris secured to the extension 14. Thebucket 7c and its extension 1.4. are su'tlicient to secure the artificial leg to the stump, but in order to prevent accidental displacement and to give a feeling of greater security to the wearer, further means of attachment, now to be described, may be provided.

A shoulder harness 31 adapted to be fastened, for instance by straps and buckles as at 32, is provided at or about the waist line, with a series of pulleys 33,-over which passes a length of chain 31 composed of flat plate links pivoted together, (see Fig. (3) one end of said chain being secured to a leather tab provided at its lower end with an eyelet 36 adapted to engage a hook 217 formed at the top of the front arm 7", while the other end of the chain 31- is :nljustably formed as an eye by looping it upon itself and passing it through a ring 38 provided with a set screw 35) as shown in Fig. (3, said eye being adapted to engage a hook 10 mounted upon a tab +11 secured to the extension H: at the rear of the latter. Further a strap sccured to the shoulder harness 33 1. is adapted to engage a button 13 or the like on the extension 1-i at the outside of the leg, in order to prevent any tendency of the upper part of the artificial leg to move outwardly sides wise.

In a case where amputation was made through the knee joint the cage-like frame would be pivoted between a pair of arms secured at each side of and extending upwardly and outwardly from the peg, and adapted to receive the cage-like frame between them, the bottom of the cage-like frame beiin connected with the peg by a spring adapted normally to maintain the peg in alinement.

I claim z- 1. An artificial leg having a rigid annular support adapted to receive the stump of the log, a tubular peg, a cagelike frame connecting said rigid annular support with said tubular peg, and a bucket depending from said rigid annular support.

2. An artificial leg having an annular support adapted to receive. the stump of the leg, a tubular peg divided into two portions, a knuckle joint uniting said portions,a spring connected .with said portions and adapted to maintain them in alinement, a cage -like frame connecting said annular sup )ort with one portion of said tubular peg, and a bucket depending from said annular support.

3. An artificial leg having an annular support adapted to receive the stump of the leg, a tubular peg divided into upper and lower portions, 9. knuckle joint uniting said portions, a sleeve slidablc on the lower portion, a spring attached to said lower portion and to said sleeve, a chain attached to the upper portion, and to said sleeve, a cage-like frame connecting said annular support with said upper portion, and a bucket depending from said annular support.

4:. An artificial leg having an annular support adapted to receive the stump of the leg, a tubular peg, a cage-like frame connecting said annular support with said tubular peg, a bucket depending from said annular support, an artificial foot pivoted to said tubular peg, a link connected with said tubular peg, and a spring connection between said link and said foot adapted to restore said foot to its normal position after :[lexure about its pivotal axis.

An artificial leg having an annular support adapted to receive the stump of the log, a tubular peg divided into upper and lower portions, a knuckle joint, uniting said portions, a spring connected with said portions and adapted to maintain them in alinemerit, a cage-like frame connecting said an nular support with the upper portion of said tubular peg, a bucket depending from said annular support, an artificial foot pivoted to the lower portion of said tubular peg, a link connected with the lower portion of said tubular peg, and a spring con nection between said. link and said foot adapted to restore said foot to its normal position after flexure about its pivotal axis.

6, An artificial leg having an annular support adapted to receive the stump of the lag, a tubular peg, a cage-like frame connccting said annular support with said tubular peg, a bucket depending from said secured to said cage-like frame, substan-- tially as set forth.

7. An artificial leg having a tubular peg, an art1fic1al. foot p1voted to the lower portion of said tubular peg, a plunger in a recess in said artificial foot, a head on said plunger and an abutment in. said recess, a spring between said head and said abutment, a bifurcated link connected with the lower portion of said tubular peg and with said plunger, a frame secured to 'said lower portion and simulating the shape of the calf of the leg, and flexible means simulating the shape of the knee, substantially as set forth.

8. An artificial leg having an annular support, a bucket depending from said annular support, in combination with a shoulder harness provided adjacent the waistline with a series of pulleys, a chain whereof the length is adjustable passing over said pnlleys and connected at its opposite ends with said artificial leg.

llltlfillElilClC .lOllll S'lAVEliElK BULFORD. 

